It's a big question in this year's election: can Democrats hang onto control of the U.S. Senate.
North Dakota is one of those key Senate races and the Democratic nominee is making no secret that she wants to distance herself from President Obama and his policies.
White House correspondent Dan Lothian reports from Bismarck, North Dakota.

President Obama kicks off his first campaign bus trip- the Obama campaign calls it the "Betting on America" tour – with two days through Ohio and Pennsylvania. He'll spend the majority of time in the battleground state of Ohio and will wrap the trip up with a stop in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University.

On Thursday, he'll start the trip off by flying to Toledo, OH, where he will load his special bus (some have called it "Ground Force One" but that is not the official name) that he's used in two other bus trips in the past year. All stops on this trip are completely campaign events. His first stop will be in Maumee, OH at 11:15a, just a few miles outside Toledo. He'll speak at the historic Wolcott Museum complex which is a group of mid-19th century homes that demonstrate the lives of early Ohio pioneers. Approximately 500 supporters will attend this campaign event. He then gets back on the bus and heads to Sandusky, OH. Along the way, we shouldn't be surprised if he makes unannounced stops at random diners, shops, schools, day camps, like he has previously done. In Sandusky, we expect him to stop by Washington Park where he'll attend an ice cream social at 3:40p. Ice cream will be a good thing considering the temps at all of his stops will be at least 90 degrees Thursday and Friday. His next official stop is in Parma, Ohio where he'll speak at another campaign event- this time in James Day Park. He'll make remarks at 7:15p to a "smallish" crowd in a picnic area. Tickets to the event are free and were handed out by local Obama for America offices. After the event, he'll get back on the bus and roll to Akron, OH where he will spend the night.

For the full guidance as released by the White House, click below. FULL POST

(CNN) –– President Obama kicks off his two-day "Betting on America" campaign bus tour on Thursday heading to Toledo, Ohio. He'll spend the day in the battleground state campaigning on his commitment to economic growth and job creation.

He'll make three stops on Thursday in small towns in Ohio: Maumee, Sandusky, and Parma where he will speak with voters about his accomplishments in his three years in office, including the bailout of the auto industry.

“The President will also talk with voters in their communities about the choice in this election – whether we want to grow our economy from the middle out, not the top town,” the Obama campaign released in a statement. “The President is rebuilding an economy meant to last – one that restores middle class security by investing in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure and reforms the tax code - steps which will create American jobs, responsibly pay down our debt and ensure everyone – from Wall Street to Main Street – plays by the same rules and pays their fair share.”

He'll continue to hammer his Republican opponent Mitt Romney on his economic record and criticize him for outsourcing jobs.FULL POST

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Some presidential movements are OTR, or off-the-record, to the public and press until the president's motorcade arrives at the previously undisclosed location.